Courage: the sequel to Paper and Roses
by Witch of the West
Summary: *UPDATED* Angelina's in the hospital. How will George and Katie cope with it? Most importantly, how will Fred cope with it? F/A, G/K, A/L
1. Fights and Quidditch

George and Katie arrived in the Gryffindor common room to find Fred and Angelina shouting at each other. The Yule Ball had just ended.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Fred bellowed.  
  
"You know exactly what I mean!" Angelina roared back.  
  
"Obviously I don't or I wouldn't' be asking!" Katie and George looked at each other with very confused looks on their faces.  
  
"I can't believe you Fred!" With that Angelina took off to the girls' dorm. Fred left to the boys'.  
  
"What was that about?" George asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I should go talk to Angelina," Katie said.  
  
"I should talk to Fred too."  
  
"I know."  
  
"We'll talk later. I'm sorry." George leaned down and kissed Katie. "Bye." George left the way his twin did. Katie followed her best friend's footsteps to their dormitory. She entered it and saw her fellow Chaser sitting on her bed, trying very hard not to cry.  
  
"Angelina? What happened?" Katie asked. She sat down next to her friend.  
  
"Fred was being stupid again."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He kept flirting and dancing with other girls all night. I mean I thought he'd at least pay attention to me. You're lucky George is so sweet. I mean the way he asked you to the Ball and the way he practically looked only at you the entire night."  
  
"Fred is sweet too, in his own way."  
  
"But he can be so stupid."  
  
"So can all guys. Look Fred probably wasn't flirting. The girls might have been, but he wasn't. Trust me."  
  
"You might be right." Angelina sighed. "Maybe I should talk to him."  
  
"I think that's a good idea." Angelina got up and left. After a couple of minutes Katie headed down to the place of the fight. She saw George on the couch and grinned. She walked over to him and sat down next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of it.  
  
"How did it go?" she asked him.  
  
"They're talking right now." Katie nodded. "Why was Angelina mad?"  
  
"She thought Fred ignored her all night and just flirted with other girls."  
  
"He loves her, you know?"  
  
"Really? That's so sweet. He has to tell her."  
  
"It's hard for guys to get the courage to say that to a girl."  
  
"I'll remember that the next time a guy tells me that."  
  
"Who's going to tell you that?" George asked suspiciously.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, when he does, tell him to se me. I'll teach him who he says that to. Not my girlfriend." Katie smiled.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really." Katie blushed and grinned.  
  
"If any girl, besides me, tells you that they love you. Let me know and I'll tell them to stay away from my boyfriend." George grinned.  
  
"Protective are we?" he asked.  
  
"Of course. I'm dating the coolest guy in school. I have to be protective."  
  
"Then I have to be protective of you. I mean, you being the prettiest, coolest girl in school." Katie moved her head down, no longer able to look at George anymore. However he caught her lips with his and they kissed. George felt Katie grin against his mouth and grinned himself. Katie giggled.  
  
"What?" George asked.  
  
"Nothing," Katie said. She was about to kiss him again when Alicia burst into the common room. Katie turned to her.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Angelina. Come on, the Quidditch pitch."  
  
"I'll be right there." Alicia nodded and left. Katie turned to George. "I'm really sorry. Friend duty calls."  
  
"That's okay." George kissed her. Katie didn't want to go but she had to. She groaned.  
  
"I have to go." Katie left the common room before George could kiss her again. She ran down to the Quidditch pitch. She met Alicia with a horrified look on her face. Angelina was lying on the ground, unconscious.  
  
"Is she stunned?" Katie asked.  
  
"No, she's unconscious. She decided to practice a bit after she and Fred fought again. I'm guessing she fell off her broom." Katie stared at Angelina's still body, her hand covering her open mouth.  
  
"Oh my God, no, no, this couldn't have happened. Angelina fall? No! Did you get Madam Pomfrey? Does Fred know?" Katie was hysterical.  
  
"Yeah, I sent Lee to get Madam Pomfrey. Luckily he was with me. I didn't even think to tell Fred."  
  
"Someone has to tell him." Katie was shivering but she was sure it wasn't just from the cold. Katie turned to look at the castle; Madam Pomfrey and Lee were rushing out of the entrance hall. "I'll go tell him." Katie ran past them and entered the castle clumsily. She looked everywhere for Fred. She couldn't find him anywhere. Dejectedly she returned to the common room to, at least, find George. She said the password ("Butterbeer") to the Fat Lady and walked into the Gryffindor common room. There she found her boyfriend and his twin. They rushed over to her when they saw tears coming out of her eyes.  
  
"It's Angelina. She went to play Quidditch after you two fought again. She must've fell off her broom. Madam Pomfrey attended to her. She should be at the hospital wing by now. How could this happen?" She brought her hand up to her mouth. Fred was long gone. He had bolted to the hospital wing. "George -" but that's all that came of her question. She started sobbing. George did all he could think of doing, he held her. Her sobs racked their bodies. She sobbed steadily for five minutes. She only stopped when she ran out of tears. Finally she spoke.  
  
"You should've seen her. Her body, just lying there, not moving. I thought she was dead."  
  
"I'm sorry sweetie. I really am. Do you want to go to the hospital wing and see Angelina?" Katie nodded. George put a comforting and protecting arm around Katie's shoulders. He supported her, metaphorically and physically as they walked to see their friend. When they arrived, Lee, Alicia and Fred were already there. But they weren't in the hospital.  
  
"What's wrong? Why aren't we allowed in?" Katie asked. She watched as Lee held Alicia, Fred was pacing and it looked as if he'd been crying. George was equally as confused as Katie. Alicia went over to Katie and hugged her. Alicia started crying; Katie immediately knew, or thought she knew what happened. She started sobbing too. Katie looked up and saw Fred. Why was she crying if he was the one hurt so badly? Why wasn't he breaking down? Someone needed to comfort him. She let go of Alicia as Lee took her. Katie went over to him. He just looked at her, and then Katie pulled him into a hug. That moment he started to weep unrestrainedly into her shoulder.  
  
Madam Pomfrey opened the door to the hospital and let them in a couple of minutes later. They went over to Angelina's bed. Fred sat next to her bed and took her hand in his. Lee stood behind Alicia, his hands on her shoulders. Katie clung to George, who was equally clinging to her.  
  
"Maybe we should leave the two of them alone. I think he has something to tell her," Katie said. George, Lee and Alicia nodded. Katie and George headed out of the hospital wing, no longer paying attention to Lee and Alicia, lost in their own thoughts. They eventually made it to the Gryffindor tower and common room. Alicia and Lee went upstairs to the 7th year girls' dorm. Lee was only going to keep her company. George led Katie to the 7th year boys' dorm. Fred was to sleep in the hospital, by Angelina's side until she woke up. And he would never move from there.  
  
A/N: That's it, review and let me know if future chapters are in order. Thanks and help with a better title would be nice. ( Thank you so much! 


	2. Cloaks and Courage

Two weeks later Fred woke to someone squeezing his hand and calling his name. He looked up and saw Angelina speaking but her eyes were closed.  
  
"Fred? Fred?"  
  
"It's okay, I'm here. Open your eyes."  
  
"What?" Angelina was disoriented and not liking it. She was squirming around and turning, her eyes were still closed.  
  
"Sweetie, Angie, go back to sleep. Try to go back to sleep." He'd rather see her sleeping and silent than tossing and uncomfortable. Just to see her peaceful again was better. Angelina lay still once again and soft breathing assured Fred that Angelina fell asleep once again.  
  
"I love you," Fred whispered to her.  
  
"That was very sweet Fred," a voice said from behind him. He turned and saw Katie standing there, watching. "You know, she'll be wanting to hear that when she's awake."  
  
"I know. I'll tell her."  
  
"Two weeks ago, everything was great; now this."  
  
"How're you and George?"  
  
"We're doing okay. I mean it's hard with everything that's been going on. It's put a damper on the relationship; but we'll be okay, hopefully," she added in a whisper but Fred caught it.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"George is great, don't get me wrong, but I can't tell him things I'd usually tell Angelina. So we don't talk as much anymore. When I'd tell Angelina stuff, there was always more to tell George. It's like I have to tell her so much, so I can tell him so much more."  
  
"Maybe you should tell him what you just told me."  
  
"I don't have the courage."  
  
"He doesn't have the courage to tell you he loves you."  
  
"I love him too."  
  
"Go find him and talk. If you can't, show him how you feel."  
  
"Thanks Fred." She gave Fred a hug and left the hospital. She found George right where she thought she would. She walked down the castle steps, and into the cold, harsh temperatures. She only had her robes on but she didn't' care. She stopped walking only where George was sitting. George looked up from where he was spacing off.  
  
"Hey," he said.  
  
"Hey. Can I sit down?" He nodded. She sat next to him and he wrapped his cloak around her. She sunk into him and was suddenly very warm. Closing her eyes, she smiled at the warmth surrounding her.  
  
"How are you?" George asked.  
  
"Warm, very warm." George smiled and kissed Katie's forehead. Katie looked up into his eyes. She saw something flicker behind them.  
  
"Katie, I love you." Katie smiled broadly. She knew how much courage it took for him to say that. She needed that much to find him.  
  
"I love you too." She meant every word. "Where are Lee and Alicia?" George laughed.  
  
"That was interesting," he said.  
  
"What was?"  
  
"I'm deeply and madly in love with you George. Where are Lee and Alicia?" George said in a high-pitched voice. Katie laughed.  
  
"I won't deny the second thing but the first remark. I'm drawing a blank." George eyed her. "What?"  
  
"Are you sure about the first one? Are you really sure you aren't deeply and madly in love with me?"  
  
"I don't know. I'll have to think about it. What about you? Are you deeply and madly in love with me?"  
  
"Of course," George said without hesitation. Katie smiled. "And I don't know where Lee and Alicia are."  
  
"That's okay. I've been looking forward to staying here."  
  
"I wasn't planning on moving. Wait! Hogsmeade. That's where Lee and Alicia are."  
  
"Hogsmeade? It's a Hogsmeade weekend?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess with what's been going on, we just didn't notice. Do you want to go? It could be fun."  
  
"I'd need to grab my cloak, but it sounds like a good idea." Katie and George stood up. George still had his cloak around her. When they got into the castle, George took Katie's hand as they headed upstairs.  
  
At the stairs to the girls' dormitories George waited for Katie to return with her cloak. Katie returned with a very beautiful blue cloak. George smiled and blushed.  
  
"That's the cloak," he started.  
  
"You got me for Christmas."  
  
"Two years ago. You kept it?"  
  
"Of course. I'm glad it still fits." The cloak Katie was holding had cost George a fortune, and she knew it. The one thing she still couldn't believe was that he had spent that much money, plus more for other presents that year, on her. What even confused her more, until two weeks ago, was why he'd only given Angelina and Alicia some candy and free samples of early protocols of Wizard Wheezes' treats. Katie had gotten the cloak, some Honeydukes chocolate and a copy of Young Witch's Style Guide: Clothes and Hair; he heard, from Angelina, that she wanted one. He'd asked Angelina so much about Katie, that Angelina eventually confronted George about his liking Katie. In fact, it was thanks to her that he came up with his brilliant idea to ask Katie to the Yule Ball and eventually to be his girlfriend. George took the cloak and put it on Katie.  
  
"Ready to go?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, let's go."  
  
A/N: Okay, I finally updated. There's a long story about the hiatus but I won't go into it. If you really want to know, just ask me. Like always, reviews are encouraged, and I own nothing. Next chapter: Hogsmeade, R/Hr and a little H/G. Please review, I won't post the next chapter until I get at least a total of 20 reviews. So tell your friends and have your friends tell their friends and so on. [If you talk to a publisher or someone involved in the Harry Potter movies, tell them too, and get me their info. ;) ] Thanks, and remember 20 reviews. See ya. 


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